The Influence of Diet and Physical Activity on Oxidative Stress in Romanian Females with Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent chronic joint disease, increases in prevalence with age, and affects most individuals over 65. The present study aimed to assess the oxidative status in relation to diet and physical activity in patients with OA. We used a cross-sectional study applied to 98 females with OA. Blood samples were collected to determine oxidative stress markers: malonyl dialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and GSH/GSSG. Diet was estimated with a standardized food frequency questionnaire. We used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to assess the females' physical activity. Multiple regression analyses were executed to determine the association between the oxidative markers and the intake of vegetables and fruit. The study showed that most patients were overweight or obese (88.8%). The level of physical activity was above the recommended level for adults, mainly based on household activities. The intake of vegetables and fruit was low. The MDA marker was inversely, statistically significantly associated with the consumption of vegetables (p < 0.05). Public health policies must address modifiable risk factors to reduce energy intake and obesity and increase the intake of vegetables and fruit. Higher consumption of vegetables and fruit may provide natural antioxidants that can balance oxidative compounds.

Attitudes and Practices Regarding Research among Romanian Medical Undergraduate Students.

OBJECTIVES: This study focuses on the assessment of attitudes and practices regarding research among undergraduate medical students from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed thorough anonymous questionnaires (May-June 2018) among 510 third- and fifth-year students of Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. RESULTS: More than 60% of the third- and fifth-year students declared that they were interested and willing to perform research during medical studies, while more than two-thirds were interested in doing so after graduation. In total, 6% of third-year students and 31% of fifth-year students declared that they had prepared a scientific presentation for a medical congress at least once. Around 9% of the third-year students contributed to the writing of a scientific article and participated in research projects. Among fifth-year students, one-quarter were involved in writing scientific papers, and 21% participated in research projects. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this study assesses, for the first time in Romania, the perspectives and behaviors of medical undergraduate students with regard to involvement in research activities. The results show that Romanian medical students value opportunities for conducting research, which encourages institutional initiatives that support their involvement in curricular and extracurricular research activities.

Attitudes toward mentally ill patients: a comparison between Romanian and international medical students.

BACKGROUND: Stigmatizing attitudes to mental illness, and especially schizophrenia, are not limited to the general population but are also common among health professionals. Health professionals are in a position to model health related attitudes both in the general public and patients. Medical students are an interesting group to focus upon, since they are future health professionals and correcting stigmatizing attitudes is still possible during their educational curriculum. METHODS: This study investigated the attitude toward mental illness in medical students at the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy. We surveyed first year students, since they have not yet received specific classes or internships in psychiatry; 322 students from the Romanian and English sections participated, representing a response rate of 94.7%. The questionnaire consisted of the Romanian and English versions of Link's Social Distance Scale towards people with mental illness scale. RESULTS: Overall, medical students had a relatively negative attitude towards people with mental illness, with moderate social distance and stereotypical attitudes. The level of personal contact with people with mental illness was correlated with positive attitudes. International students had scored lower then Romanian students on social distance toward mentally ill patients. CONCLUSIONS: Medical education can play an important role in the attitudes of students toward mental illness. Medical students have stigmatizing attitudes about mentally ill patients. Personal contact with people suffering from mental illness might contribute to a positive attitude from the medical students toward mentally ill patients.

Chondroprotective effects of pulsed shortwave therapy in rabbits with experimental osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) represents a public health challenge since the pathogenic treatment, able to induce cartilage regeneration, still remains unknown. Ageing of the population and increasing OA prevalence have led to a lot of research, aiming to identify treatments acting on chondrocytes that play a determinant role in cartilage degeneration÷regeneration balance. Pulsed shortwave therapy (with the classical application form - Diapulse) is a physiotherapy method with anabolic effects demonstrated on nervous, conjunctive and vascular tissues, but its effects on OA cartilage are not known. AIM: Our aim was to demonstrate the effects of Diapulse on the cartilage in experimental induced OA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental OA was induced in 10 mature female rabbits by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). Ten weeks after ACLT, rabbits were randomized in a treatment group and a control group. Treatment group was exposed to Diapulse at a frequency of 27.12 MHz, pulse length of 65 µs, pulse frequency of 300 pulses÷s (300 Hz) for 10 minutes÷day. Control group was exposed to sham therapy. After treatment, rabbits were sacrificed and the cartilage was evaluated by histopathological examinations with Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: OA characteristic changes were found in both groups. In the treatment group, we found that Diapulse influenced the degenerative process in the OA cartilage by improving the chondrocyte viability and the capacity to maintain cellular matrix integrity and structure. CONCLUSIONS: Diapulse can be considered a disease modifying therapeutic procedure and could be a reliable option for treatment of OA patients.

Physician migration at its roots: a study on the emigration preferences and plans among medical students in Romania.

BACKGROUND: Migration of healthcare workers is receiving increased attention worldwide. In Europe, the creation of a border-free labor market and its expansion with the EU enlargements of 2004, 2007, and 2013 endowed health professionals with the right to provide services and to relocate to another EU Member State. For the Romanian doctors, the EU-wide recognition of the medical degree obtained in Romania has created new opportunities, while inadequate working conditions and relatively low salaries pushed many of them to search for employment abroad. As there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of the Romanian physicians' exodus, we performed a survey to assess the emigration intention of future Romanian doctors. METHODS: The study was conducted over three consecutive years: 2013, 2014, and 2015 at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hatieganu" Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The self-administrated questionnaire included 19 questions regarding students' emigration intentions. RESULTS: All the 957 license-degree students participated in the study. In this study, 84.7% of subjects planned on seeking employment abroad after graduation. A large number of the students who have participated in the study have already started preparing for emigration, 21.7% of those who wished to migrate had already performed at least one Erasmus mobility in their country of choice, 44.5% have been enrolled in a language course, and 42.7% have searched for jobs on the Internet. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Romanian medical students considering migration see it as a serious alternative to the continuation of their professional training started in Romania. The findings of this study are upsetting and can impact both policy crafting and future research. Structural reforms in the healthcare provisions are needed in order to facilitate the retention of medical personnel. Romanian policy makers need to devise a comprehensive national health workforce plan to deal with physician migration.

First year medical students' attitude toward anatomical corpse dissection and its relationship with their personality.

INTRODUCTION: Anatomy is an important and intense mandatory course offered during the first year of medical school. Corpse dissection is very important in Anatomy teaching, and first year students will encounter, most likely for the first time, a dead human body during Anatomy labs. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anxiety experienced by medical students with no previous corpse dissection background just before, after a week, and then after a month of dissection labs, and to investigate the relationship between students' personality and their attitude towards dissection. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 138 first year English Section medical students from the "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, completed a personality inventory, an anxiety scale and a questionnaire to assess their attitudes and reactions to anatomical dissection. RESULTS: The level of anxiety reported by students increased from before the first dissection encounter to after one month of dissection labs. CONCLUSIONS: There is a relationship between the Five Factor model of personality and students' attitudes towards dissection. Medical students could be better prepared for their first corpse dissection experience if the preparation before dissection would take in consideration their psychological traits.

Ethical views, attitudes and reactions of Romanian medical students to the dissecting room.

AIM: Our objective was to evaluate the attitudes and views of first year medical students towards cadaver dissection in anatomy learning and discuss various findings in relation with ethical problems). MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was conducted at the "Iuliu Hat ieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, during the academic year 2012-2013 at the end of the second semester. There were 121 first year medical students included. We developed a questionnaire to asses among other, the degree of fear, anxiety and stress in the dissection room, methods of coping, ethical aspects of dissection and hand it to the students. RESULTS: 34.7% of students experienced different levels of fear on exposure to the dissection room practical sessions. Many students experienced anxiety in reaction to dissection. In the first semester most students reported physical and behavioral reaction towards certain stimuli, with a decrease in the second semester. Recurring visual images of cadavers, reported by 57% of students in the first semester, dropped to 44.6% in the second semester. Students used most frequently the "rationalization and emotional detachment" as a coping method. CONCLUSIONS: Anatomists, most often the firsts who need to be aware of emotional and ethical issues, need to explain in detail the steps necessary for dissection and that dissection is performed with the respect of legislation, ethics and human rights.